In Israel, as throughout the Middle
East, horses and donkeys have long been the victims of abuse. People have used them to carry heavy loads, like furniture, watermelons and other fruits and vegetables in summer, and rocks from construction sites.

In November 2009, following a 10-year campaign by CHAI and Hakol
Chai, Tel Aviv banned the use of horse-drawn carts. However, the
ban was not enforced, and in Tel Aviv cart horses were back at work
on the streets.
In 2011, Hakol Chai launched a new
Witness Campaign to end the
cruelty. In other parts of the country,
also, cart horses have continued to suffer. Even in those cities that
require licensing and inspections,
the legislation has not been enforced, so most of these animals are not licensed, inspected, or provided
with veterinary care. Often, they are fed only the damaged produce or nutritionally
inadequate forage containing burrs that cause sores in their mouths. At the end of the summer season, or
when lameness prevents them from being useful, they are abandoned.

In July 2014, the
Knesset Economic Affairs Committee approved the new regulation
submitted to it by the Ministry of Transportation to impose a
nationwide ban on horse- and donkey-drawn carts on streets and
highways. Hakol Chai's representative states: "We will now turn
our efforts to ensuring that the law is enforced everywhere
in the country."

Following the unanimous vote in July to pass the new regulation, the head of the Economic Affairs Committee, MK Braverman, was asked by a representative of a handful of carriage drivers who haul tourists on one street in the northern coastal city of Nahariya to add an exemption for them to the regulation. MK Braverman postponed enacting the regulation pending a discussion held on September 21. Over the objections of the Transportation Ministry and Hakol Chai, an exemption was included that would allow municipal officials to grant a license to carriage drivers on a case by case basis, as long as the municipal veterinarian regularly inspects their horses and finds them to be in good condition. The Transportation Ministry assured Hakol Chai that it will seek to limit the exemptions to the greatest extent possible (Nahariya is currently the only city with horse-drawn carriages for tourists) and eventually, to put an end to them. Carriages will be restricted to roads with little traffic. Transportation Minister Israel Katz said: "Carts with animals harnessed to them on Israeli roads constitute a significant danger to drivers and pedestrians, and they often cause traffic delays and unnecessary traffic jams."

Tiny
donkeys also are made to pull loads far too heavy for them, and they are
beaten frequently.Their hooves are often left untrimmed
for so long that it becomes difficult and painful for them to walk. And, for
some reason that we don't yet understand (possibly malnutrition and
overloading at an early age), donkeys are sometimes found abandoned on the
road with broken legs. CHAI provided an Israeli animal activist with video
camera equipment in order to obtain video footage of abused horses and
donkeys. This photograph shows an
abused donkey whose ears were cut off. Kolbotek, a widely watched
exposé program, aired the footage, and the program's host called for the
intervention of government authorities to prevent and stop the abuse.

Veterinary Help for Donkeys

Hakol Chai has launched a campaign specifically to help donkeys—the Save the Donkeys project. As part
of this project, a veterinarian will help provide medical care for the
animals who have not received treatment because of financial constraints.
The focus will be in the Negev, in the south of Israel, where most of the
donkeys are concentrated.

Education in Schools to Help Donkeys

In addition, as another part of our donkey project, Hakol Chai has met with
representatives of the Ministry of Education from the south. These Ministry
representatives are currently locating schools that wish to take part in our
project. In these schools, students will learn the true meaning of taking
responsibility and of taking action to improve the welfare of donkeys in
their region. Following the lectures, the students will develop a special
project of their choice.

Municipal veterinarians say they do not remove equine
victims from their abusers because they have no place to take them. CHAI and Hakol Chai have rescued several horses, and we are planning to
establish a Horse and Donkey Sanctuary.

Watch the trailer for Blinders — The truth behind the tradition, an award-winning
documentary about the cruelties of the carriage-horse industry in
New York City. These carriage horses suffer from many of the same
abuses as carthorses in Israel and throughout the world. Read about the movie and the carriage horse
industry on the
Blinders website.